My favorite hobby is hiking and living in PA means lots of ticks.  So much so that during the warm months I avoid certain trails where there is a very good possibility of picking up ticks.  I never got Lyme disease but have friends that have and it can be very rough.  One guy was in a wheelchair for months and had to learn to walk again.  My wife thinks I'm paranoid, but I think there is good reason.

While in SD, I asked a number of people about the tick situation and got slightly varied answers.  So my question for those to spend a lot of time outdoors, is there a tick problem in the Black Hills area?

Yep. Just not during winter. Some years are better/worse than others.

Yes and no, I spend alot of time in the hills and have only had one tick on me in the hills in the last 10 years and I'm very seldom on any sort of trail.

Thanks for the answers.  It sounds good to me because here it's spray your boots, clothes and skin...and still occasionally pick up one.  As I said, I avoid trails where you brush up against any underbrush or branches.  Tall grass is the kiss of death, too.

I have spent a lot of time hiking in the hills over the last 30 years and found exactly one tick on me years ago.

You guys are lucky. I've pulled several off myself. As many as 6 off the dog after 1 outing. Not necessarily embedded but crawling.

Must be my Garlic heavy diet